Tiger Landscape Research Articles

Tigers in the Terai: Strong evidence for meta-population dynamics contributing to tiger recovery and conservation in the Terai Arc Landscape.

The source populations of tigers are mostly confined to protected areas, which are now becoming isolated. A landscape scale conservation strategy should strive to facilitate dispersal and survival of dispersing tigers by managing habitat corridors that enable tigers to traverse the matrix with minimal conflict. We present evidence for tiger dispersal along transboundary protected areas complexes in the Terai Arc Landscape, a priority tiger landscape in Nepal and India, by comparing camera trap data, and through population models applied to the long term camera trap data sets. The former showed that 11 individual tigers used the corridors that connected the transboundary protected areas. The estimated population growth rates using the minimum observed population size in two protected areas in Nepal, Bardia National Park and Suklaphanta National Park showed that the increases were higher than expected from growth rates due to in situ reproduction alone. These lines of evidence suggests that tigers are recolonizing Nepal’s protected areas from India, after a period of population decline, and that the tiger populations in the transboundary protected areas complexes may be maintained as meta-population. Our results demonstrate the importance of adopting a landscape-scale approach to tiger conservation, especially to improve population recovery and long term population persistence.

Investigating patterns of tiger and prey poaching in the Bangladesh Sundarbans: Implications for improved management

Poaching of tigers and their key prey threatens the survival of tigers across their range. This study investigated the methods, intensity, and driving factors of tiger and prey poaching in the Sundarbans Reserved Forest of Bangladesh, to help better design and direct future management interventions. The study identified a range of snaring methods used to catch prey and an approach to killing tigers by poisoning prey carcasses with a Carbofuran pesticide. We recorded six poisoned baits set to kill tigers and 1427 snare loops in 56 snare sets to kill tiger prey. With an average of 23 snare loops/snare set, this is equivalent to an estimated 6268 snare loops across the Sundarbans or 147 snare loops/100 km2. Poachers selected sites that tended to be away from guard posts, and close to river banks, but were not influenced by protected area status or distance to the forest boundary. The current poaching pressure is likely to have contributed to a recent decline in relative tiger abundance. We recommend using better regulation of Carbofuran use across tiger range countries, and using remote camera traps set up around snares and poisoned baits to help authorities identify poachers for arrest. This study demonstrates a simple approach to investigating the methods, intensity and distribution of poaching, that could be replicated across all tiger landscapes to better direct mitigating actions and monitor changes in threat levels over time.

Are corridors good for tigersPanthera tigrisbut bad for people? An assessment of the Khata corridor in lowland Nepal

AbstractAs part of a landscape-scale programme for conserving tigersPanthera tigristhe Khata corridor was established between Bardia National Park in Nepal and Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in India in early 2000. We examined its functionality by comparing the status of tigers and prey in the corridor and in the adjacent National Park, using camera trapping, transect sampling and diet analysis of scats. Tiger movement was inferred from the photographs, and tiger–human conflict was assessed by means of questionnaires and interviews. The corridor harboured transient individuals as well as resident, breeding tigers. Tigers with core areas in the corridor were also recorded in the two protected areas, and vice versa. Wild prey was 3–4 times more abundant in the area of the National Park bordering the corridor than in the corridor itself, and domestic livestock constituted 12–15% of the tigers’ food in the corridor. Livestock losses and human fatalities or injuries were relatively low compared to within the buffer zones of the National Parks. Despite such problems and restrictions on grazing and extraction of natural resources, local residents were generally positive towards tigers and the corridor. The successful establishment of the corridor and the positive attitudes of local people were attributable to community development programmes initiated to compensate for the imposed restrictions, financed by the government and national and international organizations. By linking Bardia National Park and Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary via the Khata corridor, a protected tiger landscape of c. 3,000 km2was established in west-central Nepal and northern India.

Long-distance dispersal of an Amur tiger indicates potential to restore the North-east China/Russian Tiger Landscape

Long-distance dispersal of an Amur tiger indicates potential to restore the North-east China/Russian Tiger Landscape

Beyond compensation: Integrating local communities’ livelihood choices in large carnivore conservation

Conserving biodiversity in human-dominated regions of the world is complex, particularly in case of large carnivores where perceived conflicts exist with economic development, expanding human populations and livelihoods. Using a systematic ‘bottom-up’ consultative framework, based on a choice modelling approach that accounts for heterogeneity in the population, we explore alternative strategies that meet conservation and human development goals. Focusing on the Gujjars, a pastoralist community in northern India our research identifies the community's preferred government support measures to encourage coexistence with tigers. We find that direct losses from predation are secondary concerns compared to development measures despite these losses being comparable to other tiger landscapes. Further we found that almost all sampled households (283/292) preferred resettlement over any form of coexistence, with positive preferences for larger land-sizes, the immediate and permanent transfer of property rights, a government-built house and the potential to generate a living from agro-pastoralism. As resettlement would avoid conflict with tigers and lead to habitat and prey recovery, it follows that tiger conservation and human development goals could be best realized by securing vast areas of inviolate tiger habitat through community resettlement to acceptable locations away from tiger habitat. Although Gujjars in our case study prefer resettlement as the way forward, we highlight the need for a responsive policy and institutional framework that can accommodate local needs and ensure there are adequate opportunities for the creation of sustainable livelihoods within tiger habitats. More generally, we show how different outcomes for tigers and humans can be explored empirically to generate better outcomes for carnivores and people at a landscape scale.

Conserving tigers in Malaysia: A science-driven approach for eliciting conservation policy change

The unprecedented economic growth occurring across Southeast Asia is causing large tracts of rainforest to be logged, converted to plantations or fragmented by infrastructure development. It also opens up forest to poachers which, in combination, places acute pressure on the region’s large carnivores. Here, we focus on one of Malaysia’s three priority tiger landscapes that illustrate these regional conservation challenges. The Royal Belum State Park (RBSP) and Temengor Forest Reserve (TFR) are connected by a strip of unprotected forest with portions assigned for conversion to monoculture plantations. To support government in setting aside wildlife corridors, we assessed: the abundance of tiger and principle prey under two different forest management regimes in RBSP and TFR; and, tiger habitat use in the unprotected forest strip, from which a spatially-explicit habitat model was produced to identify priority points of forest connectivity. Camera trapping revealed a threefold higher tiger density in the protected area (RBSP) than the forest reserve subjected to selective logging (TFR), which was likely explained by the higher relative abundance of its principal prey, seemingly lower levels of poaching as indicated from an independent study and presence of armed forces that may have deterred poachers. Two forest corridors were identified as being important for maintaining landscape connectivity and these findings were used to successfully lobby state government in affording them protection. This research offers an urgently needed approach for better managing Malaysian tiger habitat within forest reserves, which are predominantly designated for logging and have weak or non-existent wildlife protection measures.

Identifying species, sex and individual tigers and leopards in the Malenad-Mysore Tiger Landscape, Western Ghats, India

Assessing the distribution, abundance and demographic ratios of endangered and elusive co-occurring carnivore species at a landscape level is important for their continued survival. Despite potential to determine distribution and dietary analyses, use of faecal samples has been relatively limited in the context of multiple sympatric species living at large landscapes. We developed and optimized a range of novel non-invasive molecular techniques for species, gender and individual identification of tiger (Panthera tigris) and leopard (Panthera pardus). We collected a large number of faecal samples as part of a pilot occupancy survey in the Malenad-Mysore Tiger Landscape, Western Ghats, India. We could genetically ascertain species and gender for 88 and 57 % of the field-collected samples respectively. Additionally, we also determined a panel of nine and eight polymorphic loci for tiger and leopard individual identification, resulting in 18 tigers and 39 leopards from varied quality field-collected samples. Our pilot study suggest such molecular approaches will help in future efforts to gather landscape level distribution, demographic and other ecological information on tigers and leopards across their distribution.

Connectivity of Tiger (Panthera tigris) Populations in the Human-Influenced Forest Mosaic of Central India

Today, most wild tigers live in small, isolated Protected Areas within human dominated landscapes in the Indian subcontinent. Future survival of tigers depends on increasing local population size, as well as maintaining connectivity between populations. While significant conservation effort has been invested in increasing tiger population size, few initiatives have focused on landscape-level connectivity and on understanding the effect different landscape elements have on maintaining connectivity. We combined individual-based genetic and landscape ecology approaches to address this issue in six protected areas with varying tiger densities and separation in the Central Indian tiger landscape. We non-invasively sampled 55 tigers from different protected areas within this landscape. Maximum-likelihood and Bayesian genetic assignment tests indicate long-range tiger dispersal (on the order of 650 km) between protected areas. Further geo-spatial analyses revealed that tiger connectivity was affected by landscape elements such as human settlements, road density and host-population tiger density, but not by distance between populations. Our results elucidate the importance of landscape and habitat viability outside and between protected areas and provide a quantitative approach to test functionality of tiger corridors. We suggest future management strategies aim to minimize urban expansion between protected areas to maximize tiger connectivity. Achieving this goal in the context of ongoing urbanization and need to sustain current economic growth exerts enormous pressure on the remaining tiger habitats and emerges as a big challenge to conserve wild tigers in the Indian subcontinent.

Prioritizing threats to improve conservation strategy for the tiger Panthera tigris in the Sundarbans Reserve Forest of Bangladesh

AbstractTigers Panthera tigris face a wide and complex array of threats. Given limited time and resources it is essential to direct conservation actions based on the relative importance of each threat. The Sundarbans Reserve Forest is the last stronghold of tigers in Bangladesh and supports one of the largest populations of tigers in the world. As in other tiger landscapes, the threats faced by the tigers have yet to be assessed. This study follows an approach developed by The Nature Conservancy to identify and prioritize threats and set a time-frame for their reduction. We identified a total of 23 threats; four were linked to tigers, two to prey and 17 to habitat. Of the identified threats, the highest ranked included poaching of tigers, poaching of prey, sea-level rise, upstream water extraction/divergence, wood collection, fishing, and harvesting of other aquatic resources. All threats were then scheduled for reduction, based on the rank and current information base for each threat and the likely time-frame for implementing potential solutions. This study demonstrates how the application of a prioritization framework can greatly improve the focus and likelihood of success of any species- or ecosystem-based conservation programme.

Identifying conservation successes, failures and future opportunities; assessing recovery potential of wild ungulates and tigers in Eastern Cambodia.

Conservation investment, particularly for charismatic and wide-ranging large mammal species, needs to be evidence-based. Despite the prevalence of this theme within the literature, examples of robust data being generated to guide conservation policy and funding decisions are rare. We present the first published case-study of tiger conservation in Indochina, from a site where an evidence-based approach has been implemented for this iconic predator and its prey. Despite the persistence of extensive areas of habitat, Indochina's tiger and ungulate prey populations are widely supposed to have precipitously declined in recent decades. The Seima Protection Forest (SPF), and broader Eastern Plains Landscape, was identified in 2000 as representing Cambodia's best hope for tiger recovery; reflected in its designation as a Global Priority Tiger Conservation Landscape. Since 2005 distance sampling, camera-trapping and detection-dog surveys have been employed to assess the recovery potential of ungulate and tiger populations in SPF. Our results show that while conservation efforts have ensured that small but regionally significant populations of larger ungulates persist, and density trends in smaller ungulates are stable, overall ungulate populations remain well below theoretical carrying capacity. Extensive field surveys failed to yield any evidence of tiger, and we contend that there is no longer a resident population within the SPF. This local extirpation is believed to be primarily attributable to two decades of intensive hunting; but importantly, prey densities are also currently below the level necessary to support a viable tiger population. Based on these results and similar findings from neighbouring sites, Eastern Cambodia does not currently constitute a Tiger Source Site nor meet the criteria of a Global Priority Tiger Landscape. However, SPF retains global importance for many other elements of biodiversity. It retains high regional importance for ungulate populations and potentially in the future for Indochinese tigers, given adequate prey and protection.

Assessing the threat of human consumption of tiger prey in the Bangladesh Sundarbans

AbstractOne of the main threats to wild tigers Panthera tigris is poaching of natural prey, yet information is lacking about this threat for most of the tiger's range. For tiger conservation in the Sundarbans Reserved Forest of Bangladesh, information is needed to assess the impact of prey poaching and the effectiveness of conservation actions to reduce this threat. This study used an interview survey of people living close to the Sundarbans to estimate the scale of prey poaching, investigate factors driving prey poaching and capture information on the nature of prey consumption. Half of the households reported consuming deer meat, with mean consumption of 1.13 kg per household per year; equivalent to 11 195 deer killed. Deer meat was generally consumed for its good taste, with households closer to the forest boundary and with higher‐income levels with relatively higher levels of consumption. Although cost of deer meat was higher than other available meat, 29% of households obtained deer meat for free. Deer meat tended to be obtained from personal contacts, and consumed in private. Most respondents (91.5%) knew deer consumption was illegal, but 69.4% viewed the law as ineffective. The study findings will be used to design focused regulation and awareness activities to reduce prey consumption in the area. The approach used to evaluate prey poaching through investigation of prey consumption follows studies of wild meat consumption in Africa, and can potentially be applied to all tiger landscapes.

The Devil I Know (<em>an excerpt</em>)

In this excerpt from her latest novel, Irish writer Claire Kilroy’s characters ride through a “country dark” post–Celtic Tiger landscape, their GPS registering nothing and no St. Christopher to protect them. Is that the Devil out there in the gorse?

Table of Contents, Masthead, and Editor's Note

SUBSCRIBE NOW at worldliteraturetoday.com DEPARTMENTS Crime & Mystery 09 Reading Through a Glass Darkly: The e-Book Revolution BY J. MADISON DAVIS Essays 12 A Lesson in the Nature of Revolution BY ADANIA SHIBLI 14 What Is Asia to Me? Looking East from Africa BY NGŨGĨ WA THIONG’O 37 Fun with Your New Head: Getting into SF BY MICHAEL A. MORRISON Poetry 13 Meditation Caves of Tibet BY FRED DINGS 30 Two Poems BY PAULA BOHINCE 41 The Truth a Poet Can Tell BY MONIQUE ROUSSEL Fiction 31 We, the Daughters of Mr. Khunsur Ali BY MURTEDHA GZAR Contents In Every Issue | 03 Editor’s Note | 04 Editor's Pick | 05 Notebook | 53 World Literature in Review | 80 Outpost JULY/AUGUST 2012 FEATURES Post–Celtic Tiger Ireland 20 Major Drill In the mountains above the now inert streets of Dublin, tensions flare as two men perform army drills. Are they just “messing about,” or are they doomed to act out a deadly struggle? FICTION BY ETHEL ROHAN 25 Two Poems BY CAITRIONA O’REILLY 26 The Devil I Know Claire Kilroy’s characters ride through a “country dark” post–Celtic Tiger landscape, their GPS registering nothing and no St. Christopher to protect them. Is that the Devil out there in the gorse? FICTION BY CLAIRE KILROY A Tribute to Marina Carr 42 Theater in Eleven Dimensions: A Conversation with Marina Carr BY NANCY FINN 47 The Shadow Side of Modern Ireland The dark comedy, searching lyricism, and vernacular in Carr's plays might come from an Irish wellspring, but they travel well beyond it. BY JODY ALLEN RANDOLPH 51 Tough, Impossible Love: The Theater of Marina Carr Reconnecting with Irish theater at the 2012 Puterbaugh Festival. BY MARK CUDDY On the Cover Marina Carr takes time out for a portrait during her visit to the University of Oklahoma in March 2012. Photo by Shevaun Williams. How do you explain dark matter? That dark matter in us and out there. This search for the light, for beauty, for love, for eternity, for God if you believe in God, is one way of looking at the world, and you either enter into that journey or you reject that journey. — Marina Carr 26 42 12 14 EDITORIAL BOARD Roger Allen Juan Gustavo Cobo Borda Manuel Durán Howard Goldblatt George Gömöri Talat S. Halman Alamgir Hashmi Vasa D. Mihailovich Tanure Ojaide Ilán Stavans Theodore Ziolkowski CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Hester Baer José Juan Colín J. Madison Davis Pamela Genova Andrew Horton Emily Johnson Takeshi Kimoto Monica Seger Jonathan Stalling Rob Vollmar INTERNS Madeline Alford Emily Bibens Michael Bibens Kayley Gillespie Laura Hernandez Jessica Mitzner Eliza Robertson BOARD OF VISITORS Molly Shi Boren S. Ross Clarke Cheryl Foote Groenendyke Sarah C. Hogan Judy Zarrow Kishner Mary D. Nichols Susan Neustadt Schwartz George A. Singer Jeanne Hoffman Smith Lela Sullivan James R. Tolbert III Lew O. Ward Martha Griffin White Penny Williams WLT WORLD LITERATURE TODAY World Literature Today is published bimonthly at the University of Oklahoma, Norman. Postmaster: Send address changes to WLT, 630 Parrington Oval, Suite 110, Norman OK 73019-4037. Periodicals postage paid at Hanover PA 17331. Copyright © 2012 by World Literature Today and the Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma. ISSN 0196-3570 (1945-8134 online). Subscription and advertising rates are listed on our website (www. worldliteraturetoday.com) or can be obtained through the editorial office. Ph: 405.325.4531. Fax: 405.325.7495. 3,300 copies of this issue have been prepared and distributed by the Sheridan Press at no cost to the taxpayers of the State of Oklahoma. The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution. July–August 2012 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & NEUSTADT PROFESSOR ASSISTANT DIRECTOR & EDITOR IN CHIEF MANAGING EDITOR BOOK REVIEW EDITOR PROGRAMS & DEVELOPMENT ART DIRECTOR DIGITAL MEDIA EDITOR CIRCULATION & ACCOUNTS DIGITAL MEDIA ASSISTANT WEB DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANT Volume 86, Number 4 Robert Con Davis-Undiano Daniel Simon Michelle Johnson Marla Johnson Terri D. Stubblefield Merleyn Ruth Bell Jennifer Rickard Kay Blunck Kaitlin Hawkins Sam Tran “Fátima, Queen of the Night,” a short story by Cuban writer Miguel Barnet, translated by George Henson Eric Bosse reports on the Ó Bhéal weekly...

The Devil I Know (an excerpt)

In this excerpt from her latest novel, Irish writer Claire Kilroy’s characters ride through a “country dark” post–Celtic Tiger landscape, their GPS registering nothing and no St. Christopher to protect them. Is that the Devil out there in the gorse?

Population Status of a Cryptic Top Predator: An Island-Wide Assessment of Tigers in Sumatran Rainforests

Large carnivores living in tropical rainforests are under immense pressure from the rapid conversion of their habitat. In response, millions of dollars are spent on conserving these species. However, the cost-effectiveness of such investments is poorly understood and this is largely because the requisite population estimates are difficult to achieve at appropriate spatial scales for these secretive species. Here, we apply a robust detection/non-detection sampling technique to produce the first reliable population metric (occupancy) for a critically endangered large carnivore; the Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae). From 2007–2009, seven landscapes were surveyed through 13,511 km of transects in 394 grid cells (17×17 km). Tiger sign was detected in 206 cells, producing a naive estimate of 0.52. However, after controlling for an unequal detection probability (where p = 0.13±0.017; ±S.E.), the estimated tiger occupancy was 0.72±0.048. Whilst the Sumatra-wide survey results gives cause for optimism, a significant negative correlation between occupancy and recent deforestation was found. For example, the Northern Riau landscape had an average deforestation rate of 9.8%/yr and by far the lowest occupancy (0.33±0.055). Our results highlight the key tiger areas in need of protection and have led to one area (Leuser-Ulu Masen) being upgraded as a ‘global priority’ for wild tiger conservation. However, Sumatra has one of the highest global deforestation rates and the two largest tiger landscapes identified in this study will become highly fragmented if their respective proposed roads networks are approved. Thus, it is vital that the Indonesian government tackles these threats, e.g. through improved land-use planning, if it is to succeed in meeting its ambitious National Tiger Recovery Plan targets of doubling the number of Sumatran tigers by 2022.

Trends of Forest Dynamics in Tiger Landscapes Across Asia

Protected areas (PAs) are cornerstones of biodiversity conservation, but small parks alone cannot support wide-ranging species, such as the tiger. Hence, forest dynamics in the surrounding landscapes of PAs are also important to tiger conservation. Tiger landscapes often support considerable human population in proximity of the PA, sometimes within the core itself, and thus are subject to various land use activities (such as agricultural expansion and road development) driving habitat loss and fragmentation. We synthesize information from 27 journal articles in 24 tiger landscapes to assess forest-cover dynamics in tiger-range countries. Although 29% of the PAs considered in this study have negligible change in overall forest cover, approximately 71% are undergoing deforestation and fragmentation. Approximately 58% of the total case studies have human settlements within the core area. Most changes-including agricultural expansion, plantation, and farming (52%), fuelwood and fodder collection (43%), logging (38%), grazing (38%), and tourism and development (10%)-can be attributed to human impacts largely linked to the nature of the management regime. This study highlights the need for incorporating new perspectives, ideas, and lessons learned locally and across borders into management plans to ensure tiger conservation in landscapes dominated by human activities. Given the increasing isolation of most parks due to agricultural, infrastructural, and commercial developments at the periphery, it is imperative to conduct planning and evaluation at the landscape level, as well as incorporate multiple actors and institutions in planning, instead of focusing solely on conservation within the PAs as is currently the case in most tiger parks.

A landscape-based conservation strategy to double the wild tiger population

In an unprecedented response to the rapid decline in wild tiger populations, the Heads of Government of the 13 tiger range countries endorsed the St. Petersburg Declaration in November 2010, pledging to double the wild tiger population. We conducted a landscape analysis of tiger habitat to determine if a recovery of such magnitude is possible. The reserves in 20 priority tiger landscapes can potentially support >10,000 tigers, almost thrice the current estimate. However, most core reserves where tigers breed are small and land-use change in rapidly developing Asia threatens to increase reserve and population isolation. Maintaining population viability and resilience will depend upon a landscape approach to manage tigers as metapopulations. Thus, both site-level protection and landscape-scale interventions to secure habitat corridors are simultaneous imperatives. Co-benefits, such as payment schemes for carbon and other ecosystem services, should be employed as strategies to mainstream landscape conservation in tiger habitat into development processes.

Single‐species conservation in a multiple‐use landscape: current protection of the tiger range

AbstractWe report on land management and protected area management effectiveness in the tiger range. Wild tigers Panthera tigris are found in 13 countries, with habitat that is also important for ecosystem services, biodiversity and a number of other threatened species. Timber production, mineral mining, oil and gas concessions and protected areas are common land‐use designations in tiger habitat. Twenty‐one per cent of the current tiger range is under some form of protection, while 9% is designated as ‘strictly protected,’ in IUCN categories I or II. Fifteen per cent of the tiger range is under oil and gas concession. These concessions also overlap 152 protected areas, 55 of which are categorized as strictly protected. Management effectiveness tracking tool responses suggest that the majority of protected areas in the tiger range are inadequately managed to meet their objectives, and the most commonly reported management challenges are minimal enforcement and budgets. We observe that even strictly protected areas are subject to a variety of pressures, particularly resource extraction. Results imply that the establishment and enforcement of effective protected areas in each tiger landscape, sufficient to protect and grow breeding tiger populations, could help change current trends. These areas should be free from incompatible land uses, and should be adequately resourced to meet management, enforcement and monitoring challenges. Weaknesses in protected area management identified here have implications for species and ecosystem services that share the same geography as tigers. In addition, results suggest that similar issues may exist for threatened species and protected areas in other geographies as well.

Female tiger Panthera tigris home range size in the Bangladesh Sundarbans: the value of this mangrove ecosystem for the species’ conservation

AbstractBasic information required to conserve wild tigers Panthera tigris is lacking for the Bangladesh Sundarbans. The objectives of this study were therefore to estimate tiger home range size and obtain information on movement. Two adult female tigers were captured in the south-east of the Sundarbans and fitted with global positioning system collars. Mean home range sizes for the two tigers estimated with 95% minimum convex polygon and fixed kernel methods were 12.3 and 14.2 km2, respectively. A mean female home range size of 14.2 km2 would indicate a density for the south-east Sundarbans of seven adult females per 100 km2. The maximum distance moved by a tiger in 1 day was 11.3 km. Although preliminary these home range estimates indicate that the Sundarbans of Bangladesh has good quality tiger habitat relative to other tiger landscapes, highlighting the value of this mangrove ecosystem for the survival of this Endangered species.

Saving wild tigers: A case study in biodiversity loss and challenges to be met for recovery beyond 2010

Wild tigers are being annihilated. Tiger range countries and their partners met at the 1st Asian Ministerial Conference on Tiger Conservation in January 2010 to mandate the creation of the Global Tiger Recovery Program to double the number of tigers by 2022. Only 3200-3600 wild adult tigers remain, approximately half of the population estimated a decade ago. Tigers now live in only 13 countries, all of which are experiencing severe environmental challenges and degradation from the effects of human population growth, brisk economic expansion, rapid urbanization, massive infrastructure development and climate change. The overarching challenge of tiger conservation, and the conservation of biodiversity generally, is that there is insufficient demand for the survival of wild tigers living in natural landscapes. This allows the criminal activities of poaching wild tigers and their prey and trafficking in tiger derivatives to flourish and tiger landscapes to be diminished. The Global Tiger Recovery Program will support scaling up of practices already proven effective in one or more tiger range countries that need wider policy support, usually resources, and new transnational actions that enhance the effectiveness of individual country actions. The program is built on robust National Tiger Recovery Priorities that are grouped into themes: (i) strengthening policies that protect tigers; (ii) protecting tiger conservation landscapes; (iii) scientific management and monitoring; (iv) engaging communities; (v) cooperative management of international tiger landscapes; (vi) eliminating transnational illegal wildlife trade; (vii) persuading people to stop consuming tiger; (viii) enhancing professional capacity of policy-makers and practitioners; and (ix) developing sustainable, long-term financing mechanisms for tiger and biodiversity conservation.